Oven door window unit

ABSTRACT

Window unit for an oven door in which a one-piece spacing and clamping member is disposed between a pair of glass panels to maintain the panels in sealed, spaced-apart relation, the spacing and clamping member having integral flanges extending across the peripheral edges of the panels with portions of the flanges crimped over the outer edges of the panels to clamp the latter to the spacer. Molding strips are clamped between the glass and the crimped portions of the flanges and are engaged by flanges on the oven door to locate the unit within the door opening.

United States Patent lnventor Joseph W. Katona Walled Lake, Mich. Appl. No. [14,107 Filed Feb. 25, 1970 Patented May 11, 1971 Assignee Mills Products, Inc.

Farmington, Mich.

OVEN DOOR WINDOW UNIT 4 Claims, 3 Drawing Figs.

US. Cl 126/200, 52/399, 52/616 Int. Cl F23m 7/00 Field of Search 126/200; 52/399, 616

III 10:

References Cited Primary Examiner-Carroll B. Dority, Jr. Attorney-Whittemore, Hulbert 8L Belknap ABSTRACT: Window unit for an oven door in which a onepiece spacing and clamping member is disposed between a pair of glass panels to maintain the panels in sealed, spacedapart relation, the spacing and clamping member having integral flanges extending across the peripheral edges of the panels with portions of the flanges crimped over the outer edges of the panels to clamp the latter to the spacer. Molding strips are clamped between the glass and the crimped portions of the flanges and are engaged by flanges on the oven door to locate the unit within the door opening.

OVEN DOOR WINDOW UNIT Window units are used in oven doors to permit viewing of the interior of the oven and must provide a seal against the escape of heat and vapors from the interior of the oven and must provide a seal between a pair of glass panels to prevent fogging of the glass to insure clear visibility at all times. A'window unit of this type is disclosedin US. Pat. No. 2,535,589.

The window unit of the present invention is an improvement upon the windowunits of the type disclosed in the aforementioned patent in that it provides an integral or one-piece spacing and clamping member which maintains the glass panels in sealed, spaced-apart relation and also clamps the glass against the spacer, eliminating the use of a separate clamping frame.

The spacing and clamping member is also utilized to clamp a' continuous trim ring to the outer glass panel, which trim ring improves the appearance of the unit and is utilized in locating the unit within the oven door. The clamping member also clamps a molding strip carrying a seal against the inner glass panel, the seal being engaged by a flange on the oven door to provide a seal between the window unit and the oven door. The construction is considerably less expensive than conventional window units of this type and greatly facilitates assembly of the unit.

IN THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view with portions broken away of a window unit according to the present-invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken on line 2-2 of FIG. I and illustrating a portion of an oven door in which the window unit is mounted; and

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 but taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 1.

The window unit comprises a pair of rectangular glass panels and I2 and a one-piece clamping and spacing member I4. The clamping and spacing member 14 is made from a length of sheet metal formed to the desired cross-sectional configuration and bent into rectangular shape. The member 14 has a spacer portion which is U-shaped in cross section and includes a pair of outwardly extending sidewalls 16 joined by a connecting web 18. The ends of the walls 16 are bent laterally to provide flanges 20 except at the rounded comer portions of the member 14.

The inner surfaces of the glass panels 10 and 12 seat against the sidewalls 16 of the spacing member 14 to provide a seal between the glass panels. The flanges 20 extend across the peripheral edges of the glass panels 10 and 12 and the ends thereof may be rolled over as indicated at 22. The flanges 20 are removed from one end of the member 14 to leave a channel-shaped portion 24 which is nested within the other end of the strip forming the member 14. The end portion 24 may be spot welded or otherwise permanently secured to the other end of the strip.

A trim strip 26 is seated against the outer surface of the outer glass panel 10. The trim strip 26 is bent into rectangular shape corresponding to the shape of the clamping and spacing member 14 and the ends thereof may be welded to provide a continuous strip. A similar strip 28 is seated against the outer surface of the inner glass panel I2 and is adapted to receive a sealing element 30 which may consist of an asbestos cord or other suitable sealing material.

The flanges 20 at the top and bottom sides of the unit are severed a short distance inwardly from the ends thereof as at 32 to define end portions 34 which are crimped over the outer edges of the glass panels to clamp the moldings 26 and 28 against the glass panels and to clamp the latter against the ing stri 30 ma be positioned within the outwardly opening channe define by the molding 28 prior to the crimping operation, and after crimping the end or clamping portions 34 of the flanges 20 will also serve to retain the sealing strip 30 in position.

In FIGS. 2 and 3, portions of the front oven door panel 36 and the back door panel 38 are illustrated. The oven door may beof conventional construction, including the front and back door panels 36 and 38 which are provided with aligned openings therein defined by inwardly turned flanges 40 and 42 respectively. When the window unit is assembled to the oven door, the flange 40 on the front door panel projects into the space between the strip 26 and the flanges 20 on the spacing and clamping member. The flange 42 on the inner door panel projects into the space between the molding 28 and the flanges 20 and is adapted to engage the slightly compress the sealing strip 30 to provide a seal between the interior of the oven and the window unit.

The engagement between the door flange 40 and 42 and the moldings 26 and 28 serves to properly locate the window unit relative to the oven door. The moldings 26 and 28 are somewhat flexible and can readily adapt to the flanges on the oven doors provided by the oven manufacturer. Mounting brackets 44 are welded onto the flanges 20 at opposite ends of the unit to provide a means for securing the unit to the inner door panel 38.

lclaim: I

l. A window unit for an oven door wherein the oven door includes front and back door panels each having an opening therein and an inwardly extending flange around said opening, said window unit comprising a pair of spaced parallel glass panels, a continuous spacing and clamping member having a spacer portion of U-shaped cross section disposed between said glass panels at the outer edges thereof, the opposing sides of said spacer portion being substantially flat to form a seal against the inner surfaces of said glass panels and projecting outwardly toward the peripheral edges of said glass panels, said sides having laterally outwardly extending flanges extending across the peripheral edges of said glass panels, a molding strip seated against the outer surface of each of said glass panels at the periphery thereof, the flanges on at least two opposing sides of said unit having bent over portions overlying said molding strips to hold the latter against said glass panels and said glass panels against said spacer, said window unit being adapted to be mounted in the oven door with the flanges on the door panels disposed between said molding strips and said flanges on said member.

2. A window unit according to claim 1 including a resilient sealing member carried by the molding strip on the inner glass panel for engagement by the flange on the inner door panel.

3. A window unit according to claim I wherein said spacing and clamping member comprises a sheet metal strip having its ends welded together.

4. A window unit according to claim 2 wherein said bent over portions of said flanges engage said sealing member to hold the latter against said molding strip. 

1. A window unit for an oven door wherein the oven door includes front and back door panels each having an opening therein and an inwardly extending flange around said opening, said window unit comprising a pair of spaced parallel glass panels, a continuous spacing and clamping member having a spacer portion of U-shaped cross section disposed between said glass panels at the outer edges thereof, the opposing sides of said spacer portion being substantially flat to form a seal against the inner surfaces of said glass panels and projecting outwardly toward the peripheral edges of said glass panels, said sides having laterally outwardly extending flanges extending across the peripheral edges of said glass panels, a molding strip seated against the outer surface of each of said glass panels at the periphery thereof, the flanges on at least two opposing sides of said unit having bent over portions overlying said molding strips to hold the latter against said glass panels and said glass panels against said spacer, said window unit being adapted to be mounted in the oven door with the flanges on the door panels disposed between said molding strips and said flanges on said member.
 2. A window unit according to claim 1 including a resilient sealing member carried by the molding strip on the inner glass panel for engagement by the flange on the inner door panel.
 3. A window unit according to claim 1 wherein said spacing and clamping member comprises a sheet metal strip having its ends welded together.
 4. A window unit accordIng to claim 2 wherein said bent over portions of said flanges engage said sealing member to hold the latter against said molding strip. 